Banebots innovative wheels

[mrnoble]

I promised a while ago I would post more details of the Colson wheels and hubs we purchased from Banebots. Even at this point in the season some teams might want to consider these as a quick and significant upgrade for their drivetrain.

The great advantage of Colsons has been their low price, incredible durability, and relatively sticky CoF. The disadvantages are weight, width, and the somewhat awkward and heavy hubs that must be press-fit. We stumbled upon the innovative upgrade that deals with some of these issues, and we won't be looking back. The 1.25" wheels have a smaller bore than the 1.5" or 2" wheels. Banebots has created a new lightweight hub with a pressed barb that fits these smaller and lighter wheels. The dead axles have an Igus bearing, which is maintenance free, lighter than steel ball bearings, and has less friction. All in all, a major upgrade for us. We also opted for the ground off crown finish, which flattened the wheel and gave it a nubby texture. The wheel ended up at 3.8", and the texture (which we hoped might increase the CoF) wore off within 1/2 hour of drive time on carpet. Overall, we cut the weight of each wheel by more than 50%, gained some much appreciated space on our drive train, and got a bit closer to the ground, for a price that is barely more than the low cost Colsons are famous for. Look closely on the Banebots website for these wheels and hubs. They are a hidden gem and I can't think of any reasons (barring a water game) we will be switching back.